The weather forecast promised 60F degree temperatures and at least partially sunny skies but we ended up with low 50F's and barely a peek at the sun. As a couple of drops of rain began to fall, I started to wonder if I should have packed a rain jacket. I also began to see the merit in my riding partner Laurent Chambard's philosophy of "never look at a weather forecast but always prepare for rain." Thankfully, the rain never amounted to very much. But it was the effects of the weather nearly two weeks ago with super storm Sandy, that was most memorable for this ride. The fury unleashed was still quite evident with all the damage caused by fallen trees.

All 11 starters made it around the course in very good time for another 100% finish rate: congratulations to everyone, for another excellent result. The first riders made it in with a time of 8:30, well before nightfall.

Of note, Doug Haluza persevered dispite having 4 flats and using up nearly all his spare tubes, tires, and CO2 cartridges. Luckily, Doug was able to replenish his supplies at a bike shop along the way. I was there for 3 of those flats, but I couldn't help out with any spare tubes, since Doug needs extra long valve stems for his deep aero rims.

Don Jagel writes: "...I just wanted to send you a quick thanks for putting together another great 200k. We had about perfect November weather, being overcast with a quick glimpse of sun, and even about 10 raindrops. The lack of wind was a real treat. I always enjoy riding at this time of year as it seems to be quiet, with nobody out cutting grass, most yards are void of people, and traffic is light as the Christmas tree search and holiday traffic has not yet begun. I hope you were able to enjoy the ride as much as I did. I'll see you in December..."

Eric Keller writes: "...Just wanted to thank you for the ride yesterday but it was really tough: Ride to Milford, eat a pastry, ride to Big Meadow, eat a deli sandwich, ride to the Millside Cafe, eat a slice of pie, ride to Stillwater, eat a pizza, ride to Teresa's, eat another pizza...."

Norman Smeal writes: "...Great plan to reschedule the ride from the previous weekend. Hurricane Sandy will be a storm that many of us will not forget. Personally, the climb up Sweet Hollow Road left an impression upon me. Seeing the force of winds from all of the downed trees, I could only imagine the fear of the residents of the area during the passing of Sandy. Although, the weather didn't turn out to be as nice as the expected, it could have been worse. I want to thank you, Tom and all of our riding pals for another successful Randonneuring event....Looking forward to Decembers Le Retour ..."

Bill Olsen writes: " ...

Thanks for the great ride! While the weather was not as nice as the original forecast it was good to get out and get my mind off of still being "off the grid", and hearing all of those generators still running is a good indication that I'm not the ONLY one still without power. Seeing all the houses and cars that were flattened by the fallen trees made me thankful that I only needed to clear the ones off of the driveway, rather having any more serious damage.

Thanks also to Gavin, Bill and Norman for the company on the ride. It was nice to be able to catch up on the news and the conversation made the ride appear to go by much (like a couple of hours) faster. As I mentioned at the conclusion of the ride, this was the FIRST time I EVER made around the course when it was still daylight.

See you all on December 1st.

... "

If you have any other comments to share, you can forward them to me for inclusion on the message board ride report.

Special thanks to Len Zawodniak for stopping by to greet the later finishers at the pizzeria. Len was on his way back from State College, where he bought a brand new recumbent. Perhaps we'll see Len on his new ride for the December R-12 event. We'll be riding the same course, but in reverse and starting at the Milford Bakery. Event details for the Le Retour du Stillwater 200k have been posted at:http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/R12ClubDec3.html